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Gil followed Ermac to the only bedroom with Zane close behind. "Glad he lives alone, otherwise we would have been spotted." Gil stated with a triumphant smirk as he pulled his hand out from under the bed. The familiar feeling of cold metal bringing a smile to his face as he saw that it was a small machete. "Sorry Shroomish your gonna have to walk for a little, I can't hold everything. Matter fact," Gil uttered as he grabbed the pillow from the bed, taking the case from it he put the bare pillow back on the bed. "This could work." He declared happily as he stuffed the banana's into it before offering it to everyone else to stash some of the food they were carrying.

Zane placed the items he had gathered into the cloth sack.
"Well, gentlemen... I think we should get outta here pretty soon." Zane said as he tossed a small clock into the bag.
"Don't give me that look Pawniard. I'm gonna need gears! I'll leave the man some coin..." Zane placed a few gold coins on the farmer's nightstand, if only to quiet his conscience.

Gil couldn't help but agree, they had gathered what they needed, and with the mysterious noise getting ever closer it was time they moved on. "If your gonna be leaving coins like that we coulda just went to the store." Gil joked lightheartedly. It made him think for a moment at how much money he currently had. Feeling his pockets for a moment he drew the conclusion that it was a very small amount, nothing more then one or two coins. However it wasn't the time to worry about money, they could do that anytime. Right now, as had been stated numerous times before, it was time to leave. "I'd hate to leave him empty handed but I'm afraid I would have hated me having left empty handed more."

"The food was provided by nature, so I don't feel bad about that... That machete you grabbed? And this clock? Well worth what I've left. I'm not a rich man, but I have been blessed with a moderately successful business. I suppose you could say I inherited it... In a way..." It was obvious Zane was trying to hold back tears as Pawniard comforted him.

Gil also sensed Zane's discomfort with the topic and opted to focus rather on escaping as Ermac said. The three followed the same path it was they came into the house using. The whole time Gil gripped the Machete tighter and tighter. It was no substitute for a gun, but if the farmer didn't have it he most likely would have had the Machete on his person and the three of them would have been weaponless. Shroomish's slower speed then the others made Gil take the back of the group since his hands was full with the pillow case of food held tightly closed in one hand, and his weapon in the other.

"That didn't sound good." Gil remarked at the sound of gun shots in the distance, the farmer and the patrolling Pokemon he took with him must of come into contact with the beast. The three knew it was only a matter of time before it happened, however the issue laid in how long it would be until a victor was decided and the impact it could have on them as no matter who won they would keep heading towards the farm. Gil knew that against a farmer's gun or a large Pokemon capable of ripping apart trees as if it was made of paper, that Machete would do little to nothing. Yet the fact that they had a weapon in the group besides their Pokemon helped ease Gil's mind at least a little.

The brief sounds of combat were just that...brief. Then the Piping continued. The closer the trio got the forest, the more it sounded less like the cry of a wild pokemon and more of a man made sound. A haunting melody accompanied by a low droning, as if from dozens of tiny rapid wingbeats.

A quick search for the farmer would turn up his body near the edge of the forest, a clean cut separating the head from the neck. His guard pokemon was nowhere to be found. It had been a Snubull, one of the handful of pokemon humanity had been able to force into some semblance of domestication. It's tracks led into the forest, toward the sound of the piping.

Now the question was to venture into the woods or to skirt around it. It was the place the villagers claimed their children had vanished into, and it was the shortest way to the next, hopefully less hostile village. On the other hand, it was obviously host to something dark and sinister.

Gil knew that the cause of the noise was between them and the next village. However looking over the Farmer's now headless body, it seemed a little bit of an unnecessary risk to enter the woods and confront it. Even though on the other hand, searching it out could have prevented any future battles with it. Maybe even find out what had been happening to the town recently and ease the tension between the three of them and the townsfolk. Gil weighed the options in his head already sure of the way he would want to take. Doing it, in the case that he is out voted and they face the beast, to rationalize why it needs to be done and inspire himself to do it.

"So," Gil started unsure of how to word it, "Should we see what we can do? Or just take our small victory and avoid losing our heads over it?"

Gil as well began to ponder the question. "I'm guessing since we're trying to figure out what it is, we're gonna go against it." He stated disdainfully. He hated confrontation when it seemed unnecessary, even less when it seemed the opponent could kill him without any effort. "I'm afraid I've never seen such a thing, or even know enough Pokemon to be able to guess. I doubt this food will help. Hell, the Machete might not do anything more then piss it off either."

"You.know... If we don't take care of whatever.is.in the forest, the town will blame us for this. I know rushing into the woods is a bad idea. If we plan on going in, it should be sneakily. Here's our options... Become fugitives: complete with posters describing our pokemon... Or heroes: misunderstood, ragtag, heroes." Zane's eyes were determined, as if.he had already cast his vote. "This man didn't deserve to die. Nobody deserves to die this way... I'm going to avenge him... Pawniard, you coming?"
The pokemon looked at Zane with.the same passion, and gave a sharp salute.
"Well, how 'bout y'all? I don't want to go about this alone."

"Damn," Gil muttered. Zane was right, and although it was a battle Gil would have liked to have avoided, he knew they would eventually have to do it. Especially if they wanted an easier time in the future. Nothing would make a long distance trip harder then wanted posters and every village hunting them. "Well better to be a hero then a hunted fugitive." Gil remarked before turning to Ermac, the last one of the group who hadn't yet voiced their vote.